Triple Frontier: Rumble in the jungle

In our weekly series, Monday Mayhem, we recommend fast-paced Hollywood action films

It is no secret that there is a dearth of action-films in their purest form in Hollywood in recent times. The surprise hit of the summer Top Gun: Maverick has reignited hope that action cinema could regain its lost glory. There have been attempts to revive the lost magic of action films this past decade but unfortunately, these films have failed to live up to expectations more often than not. Triple Frontier, released in 2019 promised to be the next big action film that would bring back the lost glory of a genre that was once the flag bearer of Hollywood. The film offered an exciting premise and a stacked cast featuring Ben Affleck, Oscar Issac, Pedro Pascal, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund, and Adria Arjona. In many ways, it had all the right ingredients for an enthralling action flick. However, it failed to materialise as the film wasn’t as well received as the filmmakers had hoped.

Director J.C. Chandor successfully managed to create a fast-paced first act for the film. The introduction to each character is cliched yet exciting nevertheless. The plot to rob a drug dealer who is hidden away in a mansion deep in a South American jungle is a story that needs very little promotion. The build-up and the execution of the heist were flawless. But the fact that it was all concluded within the first act naturally meant that the story was far from over. And one would imagine that there would be drug lords and mercenaries after them for the rest of the film. For better or for worse, the story did not pan out as such. Instead, the writers have opted for a more profound examination of the moral and ethical dilemmas the protagonist endured as a result of the logistical issues that arose from attempting to transport hundreds of millions of dollars across the border.

The aforementioned ‘logistical issues’ compound bigger problems that end up having far greater consequences than the crew anticipated. This genre-bending format for the second act is certainly a welcome change of pace but it’s flawed in design and execution. In other words, a slightly sharper script could have corrected several of the glaring issues the film has and could’ve elevated the film to a much higher standard considering the wealth of talent the film possessed. Ben Affleck, Oscar Issac, and to an extent Charlie Hunnam have decent character arcs, but Garrett Hedlund and surprisingly Pedro Pascal have limited character development. In other words, Pedro Pascal, one of the most revered actors today was nothing more than the pilot for the film.

Ultimately, the film reeks of wasted potential, not that it is a bad film, but it could have been so much more. A straightforward ‘heist and chase’ film would’ve worked wonderfully considering the setting, the plot, and the cast. But the choice of a more thought-provoking narrative required a bit more sophistication which the film, unfortunately, lacked, rendering it less than compelling. But it certainly does have its moments and the star-studded ensemble alone makes it worth investing a bit of time into. The third act partly redeems the film, but the final scene devalues the ordeals they undertook.

Watch Triple Frontier here.